Rolf Harris mural in Caulfield to be painted over

Caroline Zielinski

An iconic mural painted by disgraced entertainer Rolf Harris more than two decades ago will be removed by victims of sexual abuse in the wake of the entertainer's jail sentence for the sexual assault of four women.

Frank Penhalluriack, owner of Penhalluriack's Building Supplies in Caulfield, will stage a public "obliteration" of Harris' mural on Monday, where one of the entertainer's victims will begin by painting the wall in red.

Rolf Harris paints the mural at Penhalluriack's Building Supplies in Caulfield in 1990.

"It's a question of people in power not protecting the weaker people in the community – if you have power, you have responsibility."

The hardware store owner, who made his name in the mid-80s after campaigning against government regulation to outlaw Sunday and Easter Sunday trading, said other victims "affected by immoral behaviour ... [of] other powerful men or women" were welcome to join in painting the wall. A can of paint will be available to those who wish to paint the wall in private.

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Mr Penhalluriack said it was the judge's assessment of Harris' character that made the decision to remove the mural clear.

"Usually, I'm loath to interfere with a work of art, but when the judge said [Harris] showed no remorse and that he's not a nice character, I thought it was time to make a stand," he said.

Harris, 84, who painted the mural during a visit to the hardware store in 1990, was given a jail term of five years and nine months on Friday for the indecent assault of four girls aged eight to 19.

During the sentencing, the entertainer received a blistering rebuke from Justice Nigel Sweeney, who told him he had shown "no remorse".

"You clearly got a thrill from committing the offences while others were present or nearby. Your reputation now is in tatters ... you have been stripped of your honours and you have no one to blame but yourself."

The removal of the mural follows the decision to paint over another mural featuring Harris. On Friday, children's charity Variety said it planned to paint over Harris' image in the painting it owns, which hangs in the food court at Queen Victoria Market.

The "Entertainers of the Century" painting features 100 Australian entertainers, including Harris. Artist Jamie Cooper will remove Harris from the canvas and replace him with another entertainer, who has yet to be decided.